ADPA – Advocate for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities

ADPA – Advocate for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities

Providing information and support to parents with children with learning disabilities. We also provide information in Spanish.

McKay Scholarship Program

Florida's school choice programs ensure that no child will be left behind by allowing parents to choose the best educational setting—public or private—for their child. The the McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program provides students with special needs the opportunity to attend a participating private school.  The McKay Scholarships Program also offers parents public school choice. A parent of a special needs student who is dissatisfied with the student’s current school may choose to transfer the student to another public school.

What is an IEP?

IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. This is a legally binding document that spells out exactly what special education services a child with special needs will receive and why. It will include your child's classification, placement, services such as a one-on-one aide and therapies, academic and behavioral goals, a behavior plan if needed, percentage of time in regular education, and progress reports from teachers and therapists. The individualized part of IEP means that the plan has to be tailored specifically to your child's special needs.

Who qualifies for an IEP?

There are 13 different categories of disabilities under IDEA that qualify for special education services.

   ·   Visual Impairment

   ·   Speech and Language Impairment

   ·   Auditory Impairment

   ·   Deaf/Blind

   ·   Autism

   ·   Developmental Disabilities (mental retardation)

   ·   Multiple Disabilities

   ·   Orthopedic Impairment (Physical)

   ·   Specific Learning Disabilities

  ·   Emotional/Behavior Disorder

   ·   Traumatic Brain Injury

   ·   Multi-sensory Impairment

   ·   Serious Health Impairments

A child who is identified under one of the categories may be eligible for special education services.